A second mistrial has been rendered in the case of an Iowa man accused of sexually assaulting the same woman as his son.

Mark Gordon Parmenter, 55, will have to wait to learn when his new trial is to begin. The Elkhart man — who is accused of assaulting the same then-teenaged girl his son, Eric Parmenter, was abusing about eight years ago — is facing two charges of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse.

Mark Gordon Parmenter shown in his Dallas County Mugshot.(Photo: Provided photo/Special to the Register)

The judge found that there were grounds for a mistrial because a witness discussed in-court matters that were supposed to be excluded, based upon a pretrial filing, from the testimony. Parmenter's first mistrial came after a juror was excused for a work-related reason in late 2018, court records show.

Mark Parmenter's alleged abuse occurred during the summer of 2010 after his son's abuse of the same woman began. The victim reported that the abuse started in June 2010, when she was taking a nap inside the Parmenter residence in the 1400 block of 30th Street in Perry. Mark Parmenter is accused of untying the top to her bikini as she slept, refusing to let her re-tie it and massaging her buttocks and thighs without her consent, according to a criminal complaint.

In July that same year, Mark Parmenter is accused of pulling back the shower curtain as the then-teenager was bathing. Weeks before that, Parmenter asked the victim to come over and watch a movie with him and his young grandson. When she showed up, the child wasn't there and the man ordered her to stay, court records show.

The victim said while watching the movie, Parmenter pulled her into a laying position, massaged her breasts and put his hand down her shorts without her consent.

Matthew Boles, Mark Parmenter's attorney, declined to comment on the case. Jury selection for the new trial is underway, according to court records.

Eric Chandler Parmenter, 28, was found guilty by a jury in September 2018 of two counts of third-degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, a lifetime of supervision, sex-offender registry conditions and a no-contact order with the victim.

Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR.

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